Process of producing low-carbon metals and alloys.



JOHN B. HUFFARD, GLEN FERRIS, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO'ELECTRO METAL- LURGICAL COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

PROCESS OF PRODUCING LOW-CARBON METALS AND ALLOYS.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN B. HUFFARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Glen Ferris, in the county of Fayette and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Procreagents.

According to the preferred process, the titanium reducing agent is first made, as by electrically smelting a mixture of rutile or other titanium ore and carbon. The product may consist of metallic titanium containing relatively small amounts of titanium nitrid, carbid and monoxid. The reagent is then caused to react on the oxid of the desired metal. For this purpose a mixture of the reducing agent and the reducible oxid, both in a divided condition, may be brought to the requisite temperature in an electric furnace. Or the metallic oxid may be gradually fed into a ham of the molten reducing agent. x

The principal reactions, taking tungstic oxid as an example, are indicated by the following equations:

For the production of low-carbon metals, it is preferable to use a reagent containing a minimum amount of titanium carbid, as the oxidation of the combined carbon is not complete. In order to fully oxidize and utilize all of the titanium, it is necessary to react on an excess of the reducible oxid.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 14, 1910. Serial No. 592,361.

duced metal.

5. The process of reducing refractory me- Patented May is, 1911.

The resulting 'slags then contain both the oxidized titanium and the unreduced oxid of the charge; Titanium oxid not being acted upon by acids, the unreduced oxid may be dissolved out of the slags and recovered by evaporation for subsequent treatment. Tungstio oxid may be readily dissolved out by hydrochloric acid. By this method, a very high recovery of tungsten and other diflicultly-redu'cible expensive metals may be obtained, while the reducing agent is fully utilized.

If a low-carbon product is not required, the initial production of the titanium-reducing agent and its reaction on the refractory oxid may-be eflected as successive phases of asingle operation, by electrically smelting a mixture of the oxids of titanium and the desired metal with carbon.

For the production of alloys, a titaniumreducing agent containing the'desired alloyin metal may be used, the titanium being oxldized and the residual metal alloying with the reduced metal.

I claim:

1. The process of reducing, refractory metallic oxids, which consists in reacting on the oxid, at the requisite temperature, with a titanium reducing agent.

2. The process of reducing refractory metallic oxids and producing low-carbon metals and alloys, which consists in reacting on the oxid, at the requisite temperature, with a titanium reducing agent low in carbon.

3. The process of treating refractory metallic oxids, which consists in reacting on an excess of the oxid, at the requisite temperature, with a titanium reducing agent, and recovering the unreduced oxid from the sla 4% The process of reducing refractory metallic oxids and producing alloys, which consists in reacting on the oxid, at the requisife temperature, with a titanium reducing agent containing an alloying metal, thereby oxidizing the titanium and causing the residual metal 'to combine with the retallic oxids and producing oys, which consists in reacting on an excess of the oxid, at

the requisite temperature, with a titanium reducing agent containing an alloying metal, thereby oxidizing the titanium and In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature .1n presence of two wltnesses.

JOHN B. HUFFARD.

Witnesses:

H. E. KIP, ALFRED R. Koon. 

